Broom



(No Model.)

. L. T. M. SLOGUM.

BROOM.

No. 565,042. Patented Aug. 4, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LElVIS T. M. SLOCUM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BROOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,042, dated August 4, 1896. Application filed Janua y 20, 1396. derial No. 576,118. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Lewis T. M. SLocUM, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Brooms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view, part being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, being a partial vertical cross-section. Fig. 3 is a partial front view.

My invention relates to brooms.

The brooms commonly used for streetsweeping or similar rough work are usually provided with stiif bristles of split wood or other similar material and are of a variety known as push-brooms; that is, the operator pushes the broom from him in sweeping. The expense of using brooms of this class for street-sweeping is greatly increased by the short life of the broom, owing to the rapid wearing out of the bristles caused by the rough treatment to which they are subjected.

The object of my present invention is to provide a broom with new and improved means for shielding the bristles from the greater part of the rough work by loosening the stiff mud, stones, and other rough material and pushing the same out of the way, so as to leave only the lighter part of the work for the bristles to perform.

To accomplish this object, my invention consists in the features of construction and in the combination or arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more particular description of my improvement, E indicates the broom, having a suitable handle. To the front of the broom is attached an elastic metal plate A, preferably made of steel and having vertical slots 13, through which pass screws or bolts D, which connect the plate to the broom. A strip 0 is placed over the plate A, and the screws D passing through it serve to hold the plate more securely in position.

A indicates the plurality of teeth which are formed by slitting the plate A. These teeth are of a length approximately the length of the bristles, and their free extremities lie approximately in coincidence with the outer ends of the bristles, so that while the bristles are sweeping the extremities of the teeth A bear against the surface of the street or pavement which is being swept, and thereby shield the bristles from the greater part of the rough work, in that these teeth loosen the stiff mud, stones, and other rough material and push the same out of the way, so as to leave only the lighter part of the work for the bristles to perform. The independent fingers are elastic, and they will adapt themselves closely to the uneven surface of the pavement, in which respect my invention is advantageous over ashield composed of a solid plate of metal which projects to a point in coincidence with the ends of the bristles, as has heretofore been proposed.

My improved shield-plate also prevents the bristles of the broom from clogging up with mud or other substances, thereby greatly increasing its efficiency.

Theform of attachment of the shield-plate to the broom illustrated in the drawings I have found to be efficient; but I do not wish to be limited to the specific devices used, as

various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Furthermore, the use of this invention is not limited to push-brooms.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A street-sweeping broom, consisting of a back having attached bristles, and a shield secured to the back and constructed with a plurality of slits forming independent elastic teeth, the outer extremities of which lie substantially coincident with the outer ends of the bristles and bear against the surface being swept while the bristles are sweeping, substantially as described.

2. A push-broom, consisting of a back having attached bristles, a shield adjustably mounted on the back and constructed with a plurality of independent, elastic teeth having their outer extremities substantially coincident with the outer extremities of the bristles, so that the teeth bear against the surface being swept while the bristles are sweeping, and means for adjusting the shield on the broo1n-back, substantially as and for the purposes described.

LEWIS T. M. SLOCUM.

\Vitnesses JOHN L. JACKSON, ALBERT H. ADAMS. 

